Nashville council asks Haslam to veto bill that would ban sanctuary cities

Carlos Uroza, pastor of Primera Igleslia Metodista Hispana in Nashville, meets with staff members to Gov. Bill Haslam on May 8 in an effort to encourage him to veto a bill related to sanctuary cities.

Joel Ebert, USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee

The Nashville Metro Council on Tuesday called on Gov. Bill Haslam to veto legislation that seeks to ban sanctuary cities in Tennessee, joining Metro school board members, Nashville's police chief and others in raising concerns about the pending bill.

The council voted 21-4, with four abstentions, to approve a late-filed memorializing resolution filed by At-large Councilwoman Erica Gilmore that requested the veto.

Erica Gilmore

Erica Gilmore

Submitted

Gilmore, a candidate for Nashville mayoral in next week's special election, called the Republican-backed state proposal harmful to public safety, and an “unfunded mandate” that has the potential “to increase racial profiling.”

The four no votes came from council members Robert Swope, Steve Glover, Russ Pulley and Mike Freeman.

Bill mandates law enforcement to comply with ICE requests

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jay Reedy, R-Erin, and approved in the House with a 64-23 vote, would also mandate local law enforcement officials comply with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, requests to hold immigrants who entered the country illegally.

The requests are known as detainers, and the agency often issues them and asks law enforcement to help with efforts to detain immigrants for purposes of deportation.

Among the key components of the legislation is a provision that would halt any state or local governmental entities that adopt or enact a "sanctuary policy" from receiving a grant from the state Department of Economic and Community Development.

Tennessee does not have any sanctuary cities. But a Metro Council bill last year sought to limit Metro's cooperation with federal immigration officials. The "sanctuary-like" proposals died amid opposition from Republican lawmakers and a call from then-Mayor Megan Barry to rethink the legislation.

Nashville is home to the state's largest foreign-born and immigrant populations.

Police also oppose bill

Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson sent a letter to Haslam May 9, saying that he believes it's "in the best interest of the citizens of this state that the so-called 'sanctuary city' bill, as presently written, not become law."

"Mine is a statement about local public safety," Anderson told the council. "When we start involving local law enforcement in federal immigration policies, we create mistrust and lack of confidence in communities, even those citizens here unlawfully.

"We need that trust and confidence in order to ensure public safety in every community. If one community is unsafe, it makes all communities unsafe."

U.S. Rep. Diane Black, R-Tennessee, a candidate for governor, and state Sen. Mark Green, R-Clarksville, a congressional candidate, are among those who have asked Haslam to sign the bill into law.